Ann Fisher commentary: Youths overcome addiction, graduate

A week after a classmate killed himself in 2004, Sara Evans dropped out of high school and spun out of control with drugs and alcohol.

A week after a classmate killed himself in 2004, Sara Evans dropped out of high school and spun out of control with drugs and alcohol.

She already was cutting herself and considered her in-your-face demeanor and outsider status two points of pride. But she had her limits.

"You know, after Ben died, kids in the (school) hallway would turn and say, 'Too bad it wasn't you instead of Ben,' " referring to Sara's own suicide attempt during an earlier out-of-state field trip.

Nearly two years later, little had changed except the addition of two drug-abuse felonies to her juvenile record. And by late 2005, Sara was on her way to Maryhaven, a nonprofit agency for adults and adolescents with alcohol and other drug addictions.

She had hit bottom, but even as she resisted her parole officer's plan for Maryhaven, Sara made him this vow: "Howard, in a year I'm going to come and thank you."

And she did. What's more, she beat the odds against adolescent drug addiction and mental illness; during her 32 days of treatment at Maryhaven, Sara continued to pursue the high-school education she had been getting through an online school, and she graduated last year -- on time.

Now, she's attending classes at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware.

The folks at Maryhaven believe in young people such as 19-year-old Sara and held a graduation ceremony on Friday for current and former patients who have earned high-school diplomas or equivalency certificates.

Also honored was 16-year-old Maggie Mulledy, who hated her suburban Columbus high school but knew she needed that piece of paper if her six months in Maryhaven would mean anything. Three others were unable to attend the ceremony.

Maggie was discharged the day before, so she spent most of the luncheon afterward with the friends she had made there. Earlier, as she stood to shake the hand of Paul Coleman, Maryhaven president and CEO, those same friends cheered her on.

Maggie, who got a high-school equivalency certificate through Columbus schools, is a role model. "I know that, for one of them, I've inspired her to do the same," she said on Friday.

Just like any other high-school graduation ceremony, the Maryhaven event honored past achievement but also was a commencement -- a look away from their spotty pasts to the promise of the future.

Five of the boys who watched the ceremony have passed the practice test for a high-school equivalency certificate. They are next in line to be honored. The ceremony, intended to become a tradition, is long overdue, said Jan Cathey, director of development and marketing.

"I have the best job; I get to interview the success stories," which she shares with corporate and other philanthropists. It is time, she said, to share them with the kids still in the program as well. "The next big thing in their lives after sobriety is school," Cathey said.

Without an education, the odds are against these young people. With it, they can dream like everyone else.

Maggie wants to be an X-ray technician. Sara wants a college degree that will enable her to return to Maryhaven someday, this time to help others. "You know, I actually have a background in this."

Ann Fisher is a Dispatch Metro columnist. She can be reached at 614-461-8759 or by e-mail.